


Arthur's Surprise

by orphan_account



Series: An Unlikely Pair [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Fluff, M/M, Vampire Merlin, Werewolf Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-11
Updated: 2013-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-11 13:59:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To celebrate Arthur's training with the pack, Merlin gets him a gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arthur's Surprise

"Please tell me you're kidding."

Merlin laughed but his smile soon faded when he saw the look on Arthur's face. "Is it too much?"

Arthur eyed the shiny red sports car parked outside Merlin's flat more critically. Maybe if the body weren't so sculpted or rims so sparkling clean Arthur could appreciate it more. But as it was now it just looked excessively extravagant.

"Don't get me wrong, I like it, I do. It's just..."

"Too much," Merlin finished. He sighed and looked down, defeated. "I knew I should have gone with the Smart Car."

"Oh God, never! I simply mean that it's a bit of an attention-getter, don't you think? And we really don't need anyone looking too closely at us," Arthur explained.

"Is that all you're worried about?" Merlin looked infinitely relieved. He put a reassuring arm around his boyfriend. "Don't worry about that, love. If anyone does start to get suspicious, we can always move. But I highly doubt they'll piece together the truth. Nobody believes in the supernatural."

"But we will have to move eventually?"

"Of course. We can't stay here forever. People would be able to tell we're not aging and then we really would have a problem." Arthur nodded his understanding. He didn't like the idea of leaving the home they'd shared for the past couple months but he knew it was necessary.

"Okay, so the car won't attract attention. But why now? Why just spend a ridiculous amount of money for no reason?" Arthur asked.

"It's not for no reason," Merlin replied, grinning devilishly like he was just waiting for Arthur to ask. "I know how you to like go fast."

Arthur rolled his eyes. Merlin was obviously making fun of the way Arthur fucked him the previous night, his hips jerking back and forth so quickly Arthur hadn't even known he could move that fast. "And that little wolf den of Leon's is practically all the way across the city. This is so you can get there with speed. And style," he added with a twitch of his lips.

"What's wrong with the car I have now?"

"Would you just accept the gift like a normal person?" Merlin huffed and began pushing Arthur towards the driver's seat.

"Holy shit, Merlin! It's even worse on the inside." The black leather seats, the sleek interior, and the multitude of high-tech settings was overwhelming. It felt more like the cockpit of a jet than a car.

Merlin slid into the passenger seat. "You know, most guys would love a fancy car like this one."

"I like it, really, it's just...a bit much." He looked up at Merlin's worried face. "But not too much," he assured quickly.

Merlin held out his hand, a single keyring in his porcelain palm. "Go on, start her up then."

Arthur's smile stretched wide across his face as he took the key and turned it in the ignition. The car jumped to life and purred gently in its idle state. "Wanna go for a drive?"

Merlin bit his cheeks, holding back a smile of his own, and nodded. Arthur released the brake, backed up out of the spot, and was just about to start off when he looked over at Merlin.

"No seatbelt?" Merlin couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Arthur too let out a few chuckles. "Right. Fuck safety. Let's go."

 

 

****

After the first initial shock, Arthur loved his new car. He loved showing up to the hospital and getting out like it was no big deal. He loved saying, "Thanks, it's alright I guess," when his friends at work fawned over it. He loved seeing teenagers (and sometimes even grown men) take pictures of it with their mobile when they thought the owner was way out of sight.

But he especially loved driving it. It rode swift, smooth, and silent over the road and sometimes Arthur reached high speeds without even realising it. It was the best gift he'd ever got, though he'd never tell that to Merlin, who was already smiling smugly at him every chance he got.

And it fit its purpose. Arthur reached the abandoned warehouse near the harbour in ten minutes rather than thirty, showing up early for his first lesson in lycanthropy.

Percival whistled as Arthur pulled up beside him. "Damn, Pendragon. Your bloodsucker boyfriend must really love you."

Arthur got out of the car and tried not to slam the door too hard behind him. Percival didn't mean to insult Merlin that way. It was just a slip, a simple mistake.

"Yeah," Arthur replied. "So, what's first?"

Percival laughed. "Can't wait to get started, can you? I thought I'd have you meet the others first. They're dying to see you."

"Oh." Arthur had almost forgot about the other members of the pack, so excited he was to learn to control his shifting. "How many others are there?"

"Well, there's me, Leon, Lance, Drea, and Cedric. So, all together there's five of us."

"And Leon is the Alpha?"

"Yep. And I'm the Beta. Come on, they're eager to see you. Lance especially."

Percival started walking towards the door of the least worn down warehouse—only seven windows were shattered—and Arthur followed close behind. "Why Lance especially?" he asked.

"Besides Leon, he's the only one that's seen you in wolf form. He's curious to see what you really look like. You know how your fur colour isn't always the same as your hair."

"Mine very nearly is."

At that moment they walked into what looked to be a large common area split by dividers into separate sections. On the left was a solid black panel that hid the makeshift beds they used whenever they slept over. In front of the panel was a bookcase and two weapon racks holding various axes, swords, and daggers. On the right was a long wooden table and benches. It served both as a meeting table and a place to eat. In the centre was a fire pit where the main source of light threw flickering shadows on the walls and floors. Scattered throughout were lounge chairs, and in them were three muscular males—and one woman.

The first thing Arthur noticed was the expression of the boy, the youngest one among them. He had brown hair that came down to his shoulders and flipped up at the end. His eyes were wide but the force of his brows pushing together made them a bit narrow. He was clearly disappointed in what he was seeing.

" _That's_ him?"

"What's wrong with me?" Arthur snapped at the boy. He didn’t like Lance in wolf form and he didn’t fancy him any better as a human.

"Settle down." Leon rose from his chair with his palms up, a peace offering. "Don't mind Lancelot. He was just expecting someone a bit more like Percival."

Arthur glanced at the hulk beside him. The arms folded across Percival’s chest made his pectorals and biceps bulge intimidatingly. He held himself with an air of strong grace, firm gentleness; someone that had lived their whole life being large and had learned to control their strength expertly. Arthur could only imagine how strong he must have become after being bitten.

"Sorry to disappoint," Arthur shrugged.

Leon extended his arm to encompass the entirety of the pack. "Besides Lance, there's Cedric. He's brown and black like Percival. Then there's Drea, that girl over there, who's grey. And you know already Lance is all white." He lowered his him. "So that's the pack. Any questions?"

"I have one," Drea, the only female in the room, spoke up. "Why's this bloke here? He obviously thinks he's too good to join our pack, so why has he all of a sudden deigned to show up?"

"Drea—" Percival started, but Arthur stopped him.

"I'm not the arrogant arse you seem to believe I am," he said. "I don't want to join any pack, not just yours. I have no problem with you as individuals." He looked around at their attentive faces, hoping none of his words so far had offended any of them. It seemed he hadn't. "For a long time I didn't even know this pack existed. I thought I was only wolf in the city. So I missed out on learning skills that come so easily to you all." He turned to face Drea directly. "To answer your question, I'm here to learn the basics and then I'm gone. You never have to see me again if you don't want to. In fact I might even prefer it that way."

Drea nodded curtly, but said nothing. The tension in the room was thick. Telling them that he was only putting up with their presence so he could learn to control his abilities didn't seem to be the best way to make friends. With a significant glance from Leon, Percival changed the atmosphere to something more cordial. Percival clapped his hands and a bright smile spread on his face.

"Right then! Best get to work, don't you think Arthur?"

A gust of air expelled from Arthur's lungs as Percy's strong hand came down on his back. "Y-Yeah."

"Alright, what do you want to learn first?" The large man began walking and Arthur, still caught beneath his killer grip on his shoulder, moved with him. He was leading Arthur towards the back of the large area where a steel door stood out amongst the rest of the dilapidated interior.

"Um. Shifting. Definitely shifting."

"I figured as much."

They reached the door and Percival gave Arthur a devious smile before opening it. When he did, Arthur gasped.

The most noticeable feature of the iron room was the numerous claw marks and blood splatters on the walls and floors. Underneath the evidence of battle was a thin layer of rust. A barred window on the top of the right wall made the chamber seem less suffocating.

Percival nudged Arthur out of the entrance and closed the sturdy steel door behind him. "Well. Here we are," Percival chirped. "You can probably guess what this place is for."

Arthur nodded slightly. "Training, fighting, howling at the moon through the window. All that nonsense."

"Basically. Though we don't—"

"Yeah, I know," Arthur cut him off, rolling his eyes. "It was a joke."

"You don't have a lot of friends, do you?" Percival asked.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "It's not that I'm not good with people," he began. "I do, in fact, have proper manners. Otherwise I wouldn't be a very good nurse. It's just..." He shrugged. "No, I don't have a lot of friends. The few I do aren't even really friends at all, just people I have a drink with sometimes. They already think something's off about me."

"Got it. Social skills are rusty. But do try to make an effort not to be an arse all the time."

Arthur's lips twitched up briefly. "I'll try."

Percival's eyes sparkled with newfound excitement. "Alright, let's get started. First thing's first. Show me what you can do." He gestured for Arthur to go ahead and impress him.

"Er...Okay." Arthur held his hand up and extended his fingernails into claws. His fingers sprouted a bit more hair on top and his thumb curved inward less like a human hand and more like a claw. He raised his other hand and did the same.

"Good. Anything else?"

Arthur shook his head. "That's it," he admitted.

"That's okay. We'll start with the fundamentals. You won't be able to fully shift on command until you can master one part of your body at a time," Percival explained. "Which would prefer to do first: functionality or appearance?"

"What does functionality entail?"

Percival's ears started to morph. At first they turned outward and he looked a bit more like Merlin. But then they rotated slightly and the tips curved, so that after a few seconds, Percival had a human body with a pair of wolf ears attached.

"Increased hearing," Percy pointed to his soft brown ears. He reached behind one of them and scratched. "It also feels a lot better scratching behind them when they're like this." His foot began to tap the floor involuntarily, pounded a steady beat onto the stone. His eyes rolled nearly to the back of his head.

Arthur laughed at the sight. "That seems useful. What about the appearance bit?"

Percival, rather reluctantly, let his ears go back to their human form. Now he opened his mouth wide and Arthur watched as his canines elongated, the rest of his teeth as razor sharp as Merlin's own fangs except an extra two on the bottom.

"Since we don't need to use our teeth for anything while human, this trick is a bit pointless. But it's intimidating, especially in an argument," Perce said.

Arthur agreed. He thought of all the times Merlin had gotten angry and his fangs were suddenly out and his eyes pupilless and dark. He claimed it was involuntary, something that happened when he was upset whether he wanted it to or not. Now Arthur could snap his jaw back just as fiercely.

"Which one is easier to learn?" Arthur asked.

"The teeth."

"Then let's do that." Arthur wanted to have something to show Merlin when he got back, prove that he’d earned his gift.

"Alright. The concept is simple. Focus on your wolf side, your instincts. Try to get angry..."

 

 

****

Percival was right: extending his fangs was easy. Arthur was able to do it in just an hour or so. With the remaining time Arthur tried to learn the ear trick, but that proved much more difficult. He had to somehow will his ears into their wolf form by channeling his "inner nature energy" or whatever bollocks Percival had said. Apparently being a werewolf had more to do with earth and spiritual harmony than he thought. Which was completely ridiculous.

It was about an hour before dawn when Arthur returned to Merlin's— _their_ —flat. Merlin was in the living room reading on the sofa.

Arthur threw his keys on the kitchen worktop. He took in Merlin's paler than normal, waxpaper-like skin, and Merlin's furrowed brow. "Freya didn't come today?"

Merlin looked up from his book. "She was supposed to but...she's, er..." Merlin pursed his lips and glanced down again uncomfortably.

"Menstruating?"

Merlin exhaled shortly but looked relieved that he hadn't had to say it. "You doctors and your bluntness with medical terms. But yes, that's what is happening." Nearly four centuries had passed and he still wasn't comfortable with the female body.

Arthur chuckled as he plopped down on the sofa next to Merlin, who made room for him. "I'm not a doctor. I'm a—"

"Nurse, yes. So you've previously stated."

Arthur smiled. "'Previously stated?'" he echoed. "I love when you forget what century it is and talk all proper."

Merlin slapped his arm playfully. "Shut up! I did _not_ forget." He made a point of going back to reading his book and ignoring Arthur.

Arthur tousled his raven hair. Merlin made a face but Arthur knew he loved it. "Quit pouting."

"Quit making fun of me."

"Quit being such an easy target." Merlin raised an amused eyebrow and smirked. "You know what I mean," Arthur clarified.

Suddenly Merlin scrunched his nose and got up. He was at the window in the blink of an eye and opened it.

"I stink, don't I?"

"Like a dog." Merlin nodded apologetically. "It's more concentrated than it's ever been. How many of them were there?"

"Six, including me."

Merlin whistled. "That's almost as much as—well, nevermind. So how was it? Were they nice? What was the inside like? Did you learn any—"

"Merlin. Slow. Down."

Merlin took a deep, and completely unnecessary breath. "Right. Sorry. Did you learn anything new?"

Arthur stood and went to stand next to Merlin's body leaning against the windowsill. "Just one thing. I'm still working on the other."

"Go ahead and show me then." Merlin waved his arm in mock exasperation.

Arthur grinned wide and when he did, he focused his control to push his canines out of his gums, make his teeth as sharp as his inner wolf. The tips became pointed and when he closed his mouth they poked out from between his lips.

"Oh my—Wow."

Merlin's speechlessness pleased Arthur. "Neat, right?"

Merlin's eyes seemed glued to the elongated teeth. "Very. Can I touch them?"

Arthur shrugged but was inwardly excited. "Sure."

Merlin raised a hand slowly and dragged the tip of his index finger down the length of the right upper canine, then the left. The attention made Arthur shiver. Merlin gently parted Arthur's lips more and took one between his thumb and forefinger. It was an odd feeling, having his teeth stroked. Then Merlin did something entirely unexpected. He leaned forward and pursed his lips around the lengthy tooth in Arthur's mouth. That feeling was even weirder, having his teeth sucked. But it was sort of hot. In a weird kind of way.

Merlin pulled back and placed a quick kiss to the corner of Arthur's mouth properly then returned to his earlier position leaning on the window sill. "I like them. It's different than when you're a wolf. Mostly it's the wolf breath."

"And you would never kiss a wolf," Arthur added cheekily.

"Bleh. That too." Merlin shuddered at the thought. "What's the other thing you're working on?"

"The ears."

"Better hearing?"

"Better hearing."

“But you haven’t got it down yet?”

Arthur shook his head. “No. I’m going to keep practising though. I told Percival I’d go back when I could do it.”

Merlin smirked. “What happened to wanting to focus on work? You said you were nearing Level 3, whatever that means. Said you’d be called a _nurse practitioner_ in a few weeks.”

Arthur flicked Merlin’s ear. “I _am_ going to focus on that. Level 3 is very intense. I actually have to plan treatments and educate other nurses. And since it’s A &E I’ll have to cram as much knowledge into their thick skulls as I can in short bursts. But it’s not like I don’t have the time.”

Merlin’s expression seemed to darken. “So you’re going to juggle wolf training and a more intense workload at the same time? You’ll be stressed out and fatigued constantly!”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “You act like I haven’t got superhuman endurance.”

Merlin bit his lip and stared at the floor. His eyebrows were pushed together as he frowned in deep thought.

Arthur stepped closer and put his arms around Merlin’s waist. “Hey, come on. What’s wrong?” Merlin let his head fall to Arthur’s shoulder but remained silent and brooding. Arthur raised a hand and stroked the back of Merlin’s neck. “If you don’t tell me, you know I’ll assume the worst.”

Merlin grumbled and finally muttered, “I don’t see any time left over for me in that schedule.”

Arthur chuckled and was immediately sorry. He forced Merlin to look up at him and saw the worry that ran deep behind the storm blue eyes.

“I will always have time for you, Merlin,” he said firmly. “You are my first priority. After everything we’ve been through, I would have thought you knew that.”

Merlin’s muscles relaxed and he let out another unnecessary sigh. “I do.”

Arthur smiled and kissed him briefly. “Good. And it’s not as if we haven’t got eternity.”

Merlin regained his wicked smirk and held Arthur with sure hands. “Mmm,” he hummed as he pressed his lips back to Arthur’s. “An eternity of this. If I didn't know that wolves mate for life I'd be worried you'd get tired of me.”

Arthur chuckled again, this time letting it go. Then he pulled back. “Wait, what?”

"What?"

"Wolves mate for—"

"Yes," Merlin said.

"Why was that not the first thing Percival told me?"

Merlin quirked a brow. "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's just...You're not the first person I've had sex with since becoming a werewolf?"

Arthur had been scared and extremely hesitant at first, but he was only able to go so long without having that particular itch screatched. He hadn't dated anyone, of course, but he'd picked up girls from clubs. Aside from a few growls and handprints left on their skin, his wolf side had been kept in check during the encounters. So if he'd fucked them, why hadn't it been a for-life sort of deal?

"Not exactly that kind of mating, Arthur," Merlin said. "It runs a bit deeper than just sex."

"So I fall in love once and that's it?" Arthur asked. "What happens if  _you_ get tired of _me_?" _  
_

“I’ve lived a long time, Arthur. Vampires love to fuck, and I’ve had many partners. But you...” Merlin pulled Arthur flush against him by grabbing his arse and Arthur inhaled sharply. “You are unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. You’re incorrigible and quick-tempered and too smug for your own good, but I love you and I don’t want anybody else.”

Arthur’s heart threatened to jump out of his chest and there was no doubt as to whether or not Merlin could hear it. Still, he smiled brilliantly and said, “I guess you’re not bad. Definitely a step up from Vivian.”

Merlin snorted and rolled his eyes as he leaned to kiss Arthur again. This time he swiped Arthur’s bottom lip with his tongue and Arthur opened to let him inside. From there the kiss turned filthy. Merlin always knew what to do to get Arthur breathless and panting in no time. He spun them around so their positions were reversed and pressed Arthur against the windowpane, rutting into him shamelessly. He kept a steady hand on Arthur’s lower back to keep him from bending and falling out the window.

Then Arthur slotted their hips so that one of his legs was on the outside and he raised it, running it up Merlin’s side. He earned an appreciative moan from Merlin.

“There’s one thing I can give you that Vivian never could,” Merlin whispered into Arthur’s mouth.

“What’s that?” Arthur asked obligingly. His chin was all wet with saliva but he was too far gone to care. His leg seemed to have a mind of its own as it wrapped itself around Merlin.

“A good hard fuck.”

“Yeah,” Arthur inhaled. He jumped a bit and wrapped his other leg around Merlin. They were so in sync that Merlin automatically brought his hand up to hold him in place and before Arthur could blink twice they were in the bedroom.

Merlin tilted their bodies forward carefully so they eased into a horizontal position. He still knocked some of the air out of Arthur’s lungs though. He ran his hands up the inside of Arthur’s shirt as he kissed him again, raising the fabric until it reached his shoulders, at which point he pulled back and took the garment off. He pulled his own shirt over his head while Arthur took off his trousers. After removing his own, he used vampiric speed again to get the lube, catching a glimpse out the window as he did.

“Shite.”

“What is it?” Arthur asked, more like whined, from the bed.

“The sky’s getting lighter.”

“So hurry up.” Arthur opened his legs invitingly, his cock laying flushed and heavy over his stomach. He put his hands behind his head and moved more weight to his shoulders to prop himself up, offering himself to Merlin like a meal.

Merlin didn’t have to be told twice. He settled himself between Arthur’s legs and poured a bit of lube onto his palms, stroking his cock with one hand as he slickened Arthur's hole with the other. After a few seconds, he lined up with Arthur’s entrance, and when he slid in, it was perfect. Arthur’s body felt that electric tingle all over just like the first time Merlin had kissed him in the alley, and he swivelled his hips to better the angle.

Arthur—though he would adamantly deny it afterwards—whimpered, and Merlin gave a short, quick thrust. Arthur wrapped his legs around Merlin’s waist and Merlin leaned forward, bracing himself up with his arms on either side of Arthur’s head.

He may have started with a quick jerk of his hips but he continued at a slow, brutal pace. He slid in and out in long, languid movements, rolled his hips leisurely and enjoyed the clench of Arthur around him. Beneath him, Arthur bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried not to beg.

Finally, impatience overcame him. “Merlin,” he moaned. “We don’t have time for this. The sun’s coming up...”

Merlin groaned because Arthur had a good point. He couldn’t take his time like he clearly wanted to. Arthur could tell he was feeling a bit heavy with sleep, and braced himself for the last burst of energy that Merlin would expend to make this really good.

Merlin snapped his pelvis forward in quick motions like he’d begun with. The force of it rocked the bed and Arthur bounced back and forth under him, his hair a wild mess.

“Yeah Merlin, just— _fuck_.”

Merlin repositioned himself and grabbed hold of Arthur’s thighs. He used his grip to pull Arthur further onto his dick and shortened the distance he pulled out each time even more. Arthur whined high in the back of his throat.

He didn’t come until Merlin raised his legs above his shoulders and began hitting his sweet spot on nearly every thrust. With a couple strokes on his cock, Arthur spurted all over his chest, and when he clenched tight around Merlin as a result, Merlin tumbled into ecstasy after him.

The sun was just peeking over the shortest buildings by then, and Merlin was spent. He collapsed on top of Arthur without any of his usual vampiric grace and fell promptly asleep. Arthur wrinkled his nose at Merlin landing right in the mess on his torso, but he knew it couldn’t be helped. And as the one whose skin didn’t burn in the sunlight, it was his job to see to it.

Arthur was well and truly knackered, but he had to at least make sure the curtains in the bedroom were fully closed, which at this moment, they weren’t.

He shifted Merlin’s weight to the side, shuddering when a bit of Merlin’s come started dribbling out his arse. He pulled the duvet up over Merlin’s body and pushed himself onto shaky legs. A good hard fuck indeed.

After making sure no light would come in through the window, Arthur cleaned himself up in the loo, put some pants on and returned to the living room to give it the same darkening treatment. Finally, he slid under the duvet and curled up next to his mate for life.


End file.
